The human blood system contains many different cell types with different functions. The cells in the blood are typically broken down into three types: red blood cells or erythrocytes, white blood cells or leukocytes, and platelets or thrombocytes. The white blood cells or leukocytes are distinguished from the other types of blood cells in that they have a nucleus. These types of cells have become an area of great interest for disease prevention, including cancer, in recent scientific investigations.
The leukocytes are typically broken down into two types of cells: granulocytes and agranulocytes. The differentiation between these two cell types is the presence of granules in their cytoplasm. The cell types are also distinguished by the shapes of their nucleus as to whether the nucleus is lobed into three segments or non-lobed. One area of great interest recently is a subset of the agranulocytes, which are also known as mononuclear leukocytes, which contains lymphocytes, monocytes and macrophages. The lymphocytes are more common in the lymphatic system, which is part of the circulatory system and a vital part of the immune system, comprising a network of lymphatic vessels that carry a clear fluid called lymph directionally towards the heart. The leukocytes may be further broken down into three main types of cells: B cells, T cells and natural killer cells (NK cells).
T cells, named as such because they mature in the thymus, have been found to play an intricate role in the immune system and disease prevention. For instance, one special type of T cell is known as a Jurkat T cell. This is an immortalized line of cells that are used to study T cell leukemia, T cell signaling, and other types of diseases, particularly HIV.
To study these Jurkat T cells, it is necessary to filter and separate the cells from cell cultures. Various means are utilized for the separation process including centrifugation and physical filter (size exclusion) processes. During these physical separation processes, many of the cells are damaged or destroyed.
It is therefore desirable to utilize a separation and filtration process that does not damage the cells of interest for scientific investigation. In this regard, acoustophoresis is the separation of particles and secondary fluids from a primary or host fluid using high intensity acoustic standing waves, and without the use of membranes or physical size exclusion filters.